Metković

Metković is a town in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the river Neretva and on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Demographics
According to the 2021 census, its population was 15,235 with 13,971 living in the city proper.
The total population of the city municipality was 16,788 inhabitants in 2011 census, in the following settlements:
Dubravica, population 90
Glušci, population 76
Metković, population 15,329
Prud, population 497
Vid, population 796
In the census of 2011, 96.8% of the population self-identified as Croats.
History
The city was first mentioned in a 1422 court document as a small farming town. It remained this way until the nineteenth century. During this period the city found renewed investment from the country's Austrian rulers. With the arrival of the area's first post office and school, as well as the increase of trade with the Ottoman Empire, the city began to flourish. It was ruled by Ottoman Empire as part of Sanjak of Herzegovina between 1494 and 1685, then by Republic of Venice till 1797 and finally by French Empire before the Austrian Habsburgs took over. In 1875 and 1910 Emperor Francis Joseph I visited the city.
Metković is located near the ancient Roman settlement of Narona (today Vid). Narona was established as a Roman trading post, after Rome's successful war (Illyrian Wars) with the neighboring Illyrian tribe Daors (ruins of their main city are located near Stolac), and successfully grew until the 3rd century AD. After that it went on a steady decline especially after a large 4th-century AD earthquake. Upon the arrival of Slavonic tribes in the mid-6th century AD, the city of Narona was abandoned with most parts being covered under silt that was carried by the river Neretva. Only minor excavations were done, most of them being concentrated on the location of Vid. One of the city's landmarks is its Church of St. Elijah, the city's patron saint.
Education
Metković has the following education facilities:
Primary schools:
Stjepan Radić Primary school (Croatian language medium school)
Don Mihovil Pavlinović Primary school (Croatian language medium school)
Secondary schools:
Metković High School
Metković Gymnasium (classical high school)
For tertiary education students need to move to another city, the most common destinations are: Dubrovnik (business, management, accounting, music), Split (sciences, management, accounting), Zagreb (music, arts, sciences, applied sciences, engineering, architecture, education, humanities, management, accounting, business), Zadar (humanities, education, early childhood education) and Mostar.
Sports (most notably)
NK Neretva
ŽNK Neretva
ONK Metković
RK Metković – Mehanika
VK Neretvanski gusar Metković
Notable people
Clergy
Marin Barišić, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Split-Makarska
Josip Marija Carević (1883–1945), bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dubrovnik
Music
Milana Vlaović, writer and music producer
Literature, theater, art
Obrad Gluščević (1913–1980), film director
Ivan Slamnig (1930–2001), poet
Vera Zima, actress
Sport
Andrija Anković (1937–1980), football (soccer) player, gold olympic medallist 1960
Željko Babić, handball player, Croatian national team player and head-coach, bronze olympic medallist 2012 as assistant coach.
Ivica Barbarić, football (soccer) player, Yugoslavia national team member at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Patrik Ćavar, Croatian national team player in handball, gold olympic medallist 1996
Ivan Čupić, Croatian national team player in handball, bronze olympic medallist 2012
Davor Dominiković, Croatian national team player in handball, gold olympic medallist 2004
Slavko Goluža, handball coach, Croatian national team player and head-coach, double gold olympic medallist 1996 and 2004 as player, and bronze olympic medallist 2012 as head coach.
Sergej Jakirović, Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team player
Vladimir Jelčić, Croatian national team player in handball, gold olympic medallist 1996, handball coach
Nikša Kaleb, Croatian national team player in handball, gold olympic medallist 2004
Juraj Nikolac, chess grandmaster
Frane Nonković, Yugoslavia men's national water polo team player, silver olympic medallist 1964
Ivica Obrvan, Croatian national team player in handball, handball coach and head coach
Ante Pavlović, general secretary of the Croatian Football Federation and Football Association of Yugoslavia, GNK Dinamo Zagreb director
Bruno Petković, Croatia national football team player and bronze medallist in FIFA World Cup 2022
Bruno Sorić, rower, bronze olympic medallist 1924
Darijo Srna, Croatia national football team player and captain
Igor Štimac, Croatia national football team player and head coach, president of the Union of professional clubs in Croatian First Football League
Mate Trojanović, rower, gold olympic medallist 1952
Nemanja Calasan, Swiss basketball player of Serb origin
Mira Golubović, Serbian volleyball player
Other
Branka Bebić Krstulović, Miss Croatia 1994
Luka Bebić, President of Croatian Parliament and former Minister of Defence
Ana Bebić, opera singer; participant in Operacija trijumf
Miljenko Grgić (aka Mike Grgich), California vintner
Damir Magaš, first rector of the University of Zadar
Stanko Marević, National Heroes of Yugoslavia in the Second World War
Mate Obradović, Minister of Defence Chief inspector
Božo Petrov, Croatian psychiatrist and politician; Deputy Prime Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković, former mayor of Metković
Krešo Rakić, National Heroes of Yugoslavia in the Second World War
Ante Šprlje, former Minister of Justice
Nikica Gabrić, ophtamologist, politician and freemasonry leader
See also
Dalmatia
References
External links
Metkovic NEWs
Cities and towns in Croatia
Kingdom of Dalmatia
Bosnia and Herzegovina–Croatia border crossings
1422 establishments in Europe
15th-century establishments in Croatia